Special Report

Best Pixar Movies

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Fans of animated movies are eager for the release of Pixar’s upcoming “Toy Story 4.” The film, set to be released in theaters on June 21, has already set the record for ticket presales for an animated movie, according to ticketing websites Fandango and Atom Tickets. If excitement continues at current levels, the movie could join Pixar’s “Incredibles 2,” released last summer, as one of the movies with the biggest opening weekends ever.

Pixar has earned a reputation for producing some of the best animated movies since the release of its first feature film — the original “Toy Story” — in 1995. The company’s commitment to engaging storytelling and cutting-edge animation technology has made it a favorite of audiences and film critics alike.

The company’s work has been so popular that despite only releasing 20 feature films since its inception, it has produced 10 of the 25 top grossing animated movies of all time. Its focus on making creative children movies that can be enjoyed by audiences of all ages has proven a winning strategy.

In anticipation of the release of “Toy Story 4,” 24/7 Tempo has ranked every movie produced by Pixar from worst to best based on audience and critic ratings from Rotten Tomatoes and Internet Movie Database.

Click here to see the best Pixar movies.

To determine the best Pixar movies, 24/7 Tempo ranked all of the company’s feature-length films that have been released up to the beginning of June 2019. For each movie, we considered the Rotten Tomatoes average critic rating, Rotten Tomatoes average audience rating, and IMDb average user rating. We averaged the user ratings from Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb and weighted by the number of votes for each. The combined user rating was then averaged with the Rotten Tomatoes critic rating.

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

20. Cars 2 (2011)
> Directed by: John Lasseter, Bradford Lewis
> Starring: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine
> Avg. critic rating: 5.5/10
> Domestic box office gross: $191.5 million

Champion racecar Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and rusty tow truck Tow Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) reunite to create the lowest rated of all Pixar films. Only 38% of critics gave the film positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, although there is agreement on the film’s visual merits.

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Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

19. Cars 3 (2017)
> Directed by: Brian Fee
> Starring: Owen Wilson, Cristela Alonzo, Chris Cooper
> Avg. critic rating: 6.1/10
> Domestic box office gross: $152.9 million

“Cars 3” has significantly higher ratings than its predecessor in the series (its Rotten Tomatoes Freshness rating is 69% compared to 38% for “Cars 2”), yet it still ranks low compared to Pixar’s other features. The movie features many characters from the earlier films and introduces some new ones, like Jackson Storm, who is voiced by Armie Hammer.

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

18. The Good Dinosaur (2015)
> Directed by: Peter Sohn
> Starring: Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Maleah Nipay-Padilla
> Avg. critic rating: 6.6/10
> Domestic box office gross: $123.1 million

“The Good Dinosaur” grossed the smallest amount of all Pixar features at the domestic box office at $123 million. The movie is set in a world where dinosaurs and humans coexist, though some critics found it to be uninspired on the whole.

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

17. Brave (2012)
> Directed by: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, Steve Purcell
> Starring: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson
> Avg. critic rating: 7.0/10
> Domestic box office gross: $237.3 million

“Brave” stars Kelly Macdonald as Merida, an obstinate princess and talented archer who must fight to save her kingdom after unleashing a curse. Despite generally positive reviews, some critics, such as The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw, felt the movie failed to appeal to all ages as many other Pixar movies have done so well.

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Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

16. Monsters University (2013)
> Directed by: Dan Scanlon
> Starring: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi
> Avg. critic rating: 6.8/10
> Domestic box office gross: $268.5 million

“Monsters University” boasts an all star cast consisting of Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Helen Mirren, and Steve Buscemi. The movie — a prequel to “Monsters Inc.” (2005) — was one of the highest grossing films of 2013.

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

15. Cars (2006)
> Directed by: John Lasseter, Joe Ranft
> Starring: Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, Paul Newman
> Avg. critic rating: 6.9/10
> Domestic box office gross: $244.1 million

“Cars” is about a race car upstart named Lightning McQueen, who finds himself detoured in a small town on the way to a championship race. The movie’s varied cast includes Hollywood legend Paul Newman, blue collar comedian Larry the Cable Guy, and Cheech Marin of Cheech & Chong fame.

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Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

14. The Incredibles (2004)
> Directed by: Brad Bird
> Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson, Holly Hunter
> Avg. critic rating: 8.3/10
> Domestic box office gross: $261.4 million

“The Incredibles” — about a family of superheroes attempting to lead mundane lives in suburbia — is a critic favorite, sporting a 97% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences are less enthused, with only 75% reportedly liking it.

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

13. A Bug’s Life (1998)
> Directed by: John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton
> Starring: Kevin Spacey, Dave Foley, Julia Louis-Dreyfus
> Avg. critic rating: 7.9/10
> Domestic box office gross: $162.8 million

“A Bug’s Life” is the second feature film Pixar made, following 1995’s “Toy Story.” “Toy Story” director John Lasseter also co-directed this film, which he described as much further advanced on a technical level than his first movie.

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

12. Finding Dory (2016)
> Directed by: Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane
> Starring: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O’Neill
> Avg. critic rating: 7.6/10
> Domestic box office gross: $486.3 million

“Finding Dory” is the 2016 sequel to “Finding Nemo,” which also starred Ellen DeGeneres and Albert Brooks. While not as highly rated by audiences as its predecessor — “Dory” has a 7.3/10 IMDb user rating versus “Nemo’s” 8.1/10 — the movie was an overall success, with the Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus describing it as “funny, poignant, and thought-provoking.”

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11. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
> Directed by: Pete Docter, David Silverman, Lee Unkrich
> Starring: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Mary Gibbs
> Avg. critic rating: 8.0/10
> Domestic box office gross: $289.9 million

Pixar released “Monsters, Inc.” after covering toys and bugs in the studio’s first three movies. This film, about a company run by monsters that harvest energy from children’s screams, was re-released in 3D 11 years after its initial release.

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

10. Incredibles 2 (2018)
> Directed by: Brad Bird
> Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell
> Avg. critic rating: 7.9/10
> Domestic box office gross: $608.6 million

“Incredibles 2” — released 14 years after its predecessor — performed slightly worse than “The Incredibles” amongst critics, but better amongst audiences. Both films were written and directed by Brad Bird, who also worked on “Ratatouille” and non-Pixar movie “The Iron Giant.”

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9. Finding Nemo (2003)
> Directed by: Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich
> Starring: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould
> Avg. critic rating: 8.7/10
> Domestic box office gross: $380.8 million

Pixar scored a major hit with this tale of a father and son fish duo working to reunite after becoming unexpectedly separated. The movie is the second highest grossing Pixar release domestically when adjusted for ticket price inflation, behind only “Incredibles 2.” It currently has a 99% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

8. Ratatouille (2007)
> Directed by: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava
> Starring: Brad Garrett, Lou Romano, Patton Oswalt
> Avg. critic rating: 8.5/10
> Domestic box office gross: $206.5 million

“Ratatouille” accomplishes the difficult task of portraying a food-obsessed rodent in a charming manner. The movie stars Patton Oswalt as Remy, a rat with a heightened sense of smell and taste who takes a deep interest in French cuisine.

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7. Toy Story (1995)
> Directed by: John Lasseter
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles
> Avg. critic rating: 9.0/10
> Domestic box office gross: $191.8 million

The first feature film produced by Pixar, “Toy Story” is the movie that started it all. Boasting stars Tom Hanks and Tim Allen as the voice talent behind the talking toys Woody (a cowboy) and Buzz Lightyear (an astronaut), the movie was a huge hit upon release, becoming the top grossing film of 1995. The movie currently has a perfect freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, meaning every critic gave it a positive review.

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Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

6. Toy Story 2 (1999)
> Directed by: John Lasseter, Ash Brannon, Lee Unkrich
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack
> Avg. critic rating: 8.7/10
> Domestic box office gross: $245.9 million

Like its predecessor, “Toy Story 2” has a 100% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Thanks to its writing, actors, and animation, the movie is described as the “rare sequel that arguably improves on its predecessor.”

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

5. Up (2009)
> Directed by: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
> Starring: Edward Asner, Jordan Nagai, John Ratzenberger
> Avg. critic rating: 8.7/10
> Domestic box office gross: $293.0 million

“Up” depicts the tale of a 78-year-old man who, along with an eight-year-old stowaway, floats to South America by tying an abundance of balloons to his house. The movie won two Academy Awards, including Best Animated Feature Film of the Year. It was also nominated for Best Motion Picture — only the second animated film to achieve this feat, the other film being Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.”

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4. WALL·E (2008)
> Directed by: Andrew Stanton
> Starring: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin
> Avg. critic rating: 8.5/10
> Domestic box office gross: $223.8 million

“Wall-E” is about a garbage collecting robot left to clean up a trashed planet Earth in the future. The movie has very little dialogue yet still manages to be touching and thought provoking. It was among 2008’s highest grossing films and the year’s top grossing G-rated movie.

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

3. Coco (2017)
> Directed by: Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina
> Starring: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcí­a Bernal, Benjamin Bratt
> Avg. critic rating: 8.3/10
> Domestic box office gross: $209.7 million

In “Coco,” music-loving 12-year-old Miguel is transported the Land of the Dead, where he must discover the mysteries of his family’s past. The movie won two Academy Awards: Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Song.

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

2. Inside Out (2015)
> Directed by: Pete Docter, Ronnie Del Carmen
> Starring: Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Lewis Black
> Avg. critic rating: 8.9/10
> Domestic box office gross: $356.5 million

“Inside Out” features numerous comedic actors such as Amy Poehler and Bill Hader as a young girl’s anthropomorphized emotions, including Joy, Fear, Sadness, and Anger. The movie — which won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year in 2016 — is described as “powerfully moving” in Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus.

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1. Toy Story 3 (2010)
> Directed by: Lee Unkrich
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack
> Avg. critic rating: 8.9/10
> Domestic box office gross: $415.0 million

It’s a testament to the overall quality of Pixar’s work that not only has the Toy Story franchise continued to be successful, but also that each film has been praised by fans and critics alike. The third entry in the series sees the toys delivered to a daycare center from which they must escape. The movie was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars — the second Pixar movie to receive such an honor — won the award for Best Animated Feature, and became the top grossing film of 2010.

 

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